


things you said when you thought i was asleep

by KAZ1167



Series: things you said... [1]
Category: Free!
Genre: Aged up characters, Fluff, M/M, tumblr prompt fill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-02
Updated: 2015-09-02
Packaged: 2018-04-18 16:39:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4712945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KAZ1167/pseuds/KAZ1167
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After being jostled awake from a nap in the car, Nitori overhears part of a conversation he may not have been meant to hear (at least, not yet).</p>
            </blockquote>





	things you said when you thought i was asleep

**Author's Note:**

> I asked for prompts on tumblr and filled this one first. I have a two others (feel free to meander over to my [tumblr](http://ishouldbeanimated.tumblr.com/) and [send me more](http://ishouldbeanimated.tumblr.com/post/127746485851/send-me-a-ship-and-one-of-these-and-ill-write-a)), so I'll probably make this into a little drabble series. Here's some Rintori fluff. :)

Nitori’s head falls against the glass pane of the car window, a small thunk accompanying a slight, dull pain. It’s enough to jostle him out of his late-afternoon nap on the car ride back from a much needed vacation - a trip north to a secluded spot, just him and Rin, after the craze of the Olympics has died down and Rin’s silver medal has comfortably found its home on a shelf full of other medals and trophies in their small apartment.

Sleep haze lifting, he glances over briefly at Rin, driving with one hand while holding his phone to his ear with the other. Rin doesn’t seem to notice, his eyes glued to the road as he talks in hushed tones.

“No, mom, we aren’t moving back to Iwatobi. Not yet at least.”

Nitori rests his head on the glass again, closing his eyes and adjusting the sweatshirt he’d been using as a makeshift pillow before it had slid out from under his head and essentially woken him up. He tries to drift back to sleep, tries not to ease drop on the conversation taking place beside him. Not much is kept private from the other now, even if they had only been dating for two or so years at this point. It had taken a change in scenery and Rin running into Nitori in his third year of college, at a gay bar, of all places - but the brutal honesty of the situation had been just the thing to make any potential awkwardness and lurking insecurities a nonissue (although Rin, to this day, refuses to admit that he was blushing just as much as Nitori had been when they realized it was each other they were eyeing up from across the bar). The memory makes a small smile pull at his lips.

“Well, Nitori still has a year of graduate school left before he gets his masters. And then we’ll see - What? - yeah, he’ll go on to get his Ph.D, I think.”

There’s a hint of pride in the way Rin says it, makes Nitori’s chest feel warm and tight, in a good way, the type of way he hopes to hold onto for the entirety of their relationship.

“I mean, yeah, we’ve talked about it a little. They have a really strong program in the US - west coast, I think? - and one in Australia too, but -”

The tightness in Nitori’s chest shifts, his body suddenly rigid instead of relaxed against the car door. This was perhaps the one topic they avoided - the looming future, the unknown of when Nitori most likely left Japan to study international plant life and ecosystems for at least a year. He hadn’t decided on a specific program yet - he still had time, sort of, if he just ignored the encroaching end of his current schooling - but the reality of it was that he was leaving the country, which meant leaving behind -

“Yeah, it’s serious,” Rin says, voice suddenly lower, quiet but emphatic all at once, “I mean, yeah, I’d… I’ll go where he goes, when he decides. I can train pretty much anywh- Mom, stop. _Mom_.”

A high-pitched “aww,” made slightly unclear by the space between Nitori and Rin and the phone’s weak reception, comes from the phone’s small speaker, followed by more words Nitori can’t make out. Nitori sneaks a glance at Rin, almost unable to contain his grin at the blush covering his face.

“Mom, seriously, it’s - is that Gou? NO, don’t repeat that to - MOM, COME ON.”

The snort laugh that escapes is entirely unintentional. Cover blown, Nitori looks over at Rin and tries to smother the following laugh that threatens to break out at the glare Rin sends his way.

“Mom, _I’m hanging up now, love you, bye_.” The words are practically smashed together when Rin speaks, pointedly ignoring the “love you too my little romantic Rin” that manages to get out before he’s hit end on the call.

Nitori reaches over to grab his now free hand, quietly intertwining their fingers even if the smile on his face is barely containing his laughter.

“How much did you hear?”

“Enough.” Nitori says, smiling.

It’s quiet for a few comfortable moments, nothing but the sounds of their car and others driving past each other on the windy road back to Tokyo.

“Well. It’s all true. What you heard. I mean it, that is.” Rin’s face is nearly the color of his hair and Nitori almost wishes he could snap a picture of him without risking a limb, but the happy, warm feeling is back in his chest and he just can’t stop smiling.

“I know,” he says, as he gently squeezes Rin’s hand in his own.

Rin’s face is starting to return to a more normal color, but the dusting of pink on his cheeks is still visible, even when he refuses to glance away from the road, a steadfast determination not to make eye contact with Nitori nearly enough to make him laugh again.

“Good.”

He holds Nitori’s hand a little tighter for the rest of the drive home.


End file.
